394 SPINY-FINNED GROUP. 



The blennies of the typical genus Blennius, of which there are some forty 



species, are found in the northern seas, the Tropical Atlantic, the coasts of Tasmania, 



and the Red Sea. They are characterised by the moderate elongation of the naked 



body, the short snout, the single continuous dorsal fin, and the presence of one 



spine and two rays in the pelvics. The cleft of the mouth is narrow, the jaws 



contain a single series of fixed teeth, behind which there is generally one larger 



curved tooth, at least in the lower jaw. Above each eye is the longer or shorter 



tentacle, and the gill-opening is relatively wide. Among British species we have 



the eyed blenny (B. ocellatws), distinguished by the dark spot on the elevated 



spinous portion of the dorsal, the smooth blenny or shanny B. pholis, and the large 



B. gattorugine, which may grow to a foot in length ; while as an example of 



a species living in inland lakes we may cite the fresh-water blenny (B. vulgaris) of 



Southern Europe. Most can be readily accustomed to a fresh-water life, and many 



of the marine species attach themselves to floating objects, while some are found 



far out at sea among the patches of drifted seaweed. In the Indian seas the 



blennies are represented by seven more or less closely allied genera, in one of which 



(Xiphasia) the body is band-like, and the caudal fin continuous with the dorsal 



and anal. 



viviparous The fish (Zoarces viviparus) of which two examples are repre- 



Biennies. sented in the lower part of the illustration on p. 387, is one of two 



species of a genus remarkable for producing living young. With an elongate body, 



rudimental scales, and conical teeth in the jaws, these fish have an extremely 



elongated dorsal fin, separated from the caudal merely by a depression formed b}' 



a series of spines much shorter than the rays ; these spines being the only ones 



throughout the fins. The pelvic fins are composed of three or four rays : and the 



long anal fin is continuous posteriorly with the caudal. The gill-openings are wide. 



While the figured European species, which is not uncommon on the British coasts, 



does not exceed a foot in length, its Transatlantic cousin (Z. anguillaris) may 



measure two or three times as much. The fry, which at birth are perfectly 



transparent, and form beautiful objects for the microscope, are so fully developed 



as to be able at once to swim freely on leaving the body of the female parent. 



Before their birth the female becomes so distended, that at the slightest pressure 



the young are extruded ; these frequently being from two to three hundred in 



number, and always making their appearance in the world head first. The general 



colour of the adult fish is pale brown, with the dorsal fin and upper-parts mottled 



and barred with darker brown. 



„ „„ , Easily recognised by the powerful tuberculated and molar-like 



Wolf-Fishes. i • i i • i • 



teeth with which their mouths are armed, the wolf-fishes (Anarrhi- 



chas) may be regarded merely as gigantic and somewhat specialised blennies. In 

 this genus, which is represented by a small number of species from the northern 

 seas of both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, the elongate body is covered 

 with rudimental scales ; the muzzle is rather short and the cleft of the mouth wide ; 

 and the jaws are armed with strong conical teeth, those of the lateral series carry- 

 ing several pointed cusps, while a double row of large molar-like teeth runs down 

 the middle of the palate. The long dorsal fin lias flexible spines, and there is a 

 distinct caudal, but the pelvic pair are quite wanting. The gill-opening is wide. 



